Alexithymia in respiratory rehabilitation

Abstract

Purpose. To date, there are no studies that have investigated the role of alexithymia in respiratory rehabilitation. We aimed to observe the prevalence of alexithymia in patients attending respiratory rehabilitation and to verify the presence of a difference between alexithymics and non-alexithymics responsiveness to the respiratory rehabilitation standard protocol.

Methods. A prospective cohort study evaluating the influence of alexithymia on functional recovery of in-patients afferent to the Respiratory Rehabilitation Unit of IRCCS San Raffaele Pisana. Sixty patients were consecutively enrolled into the study and evaluated for alexithymia, anxiety and depression. Functional recovery was assessed with the six-minute walking test (6MWT). Prior and post-completion of this test dyspnoea, oxygen saturation and cardiac frequency were recorded.

Results. Alexithymia was not found to be significantly affecting the functional recovery of participants in respiratory rehabilitation. The distance walked at the 6MWT (6MWD) increased in both alexithymics and non-alexithymics (p_alexithymics = 0.014; p_{non-alexithymics} < 0.0001). Dyspnoea strongly improved among non-alexithymics, although a signal for improvement was also found in alexithymics (p_alexithymics = 0.046; p_{non-alexithymics} = 0.0001).

Conclusions. These findings suggest that alexithymia did not have a significant impact on functional recovery of patients in respiratory rehabilitation.

Keywords:

• Alexithymia
• respiratory rehabilitation
• six-minute walking test

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the physiotherapists of the Respiratory Rehabilitation Unit for the data collection.